‘That’s not true’: Conservatives won’t give up Kamala Harris teleprompter conspiracies despite being debunked again
Conservative conspiracy theorists refuse to give up their tired claim that Kamala Harris uses a teleprompter or in-ear transmitter to give speeches despite having their latest theory swiftly debunked.
Since Harris announced her run for President of the United States following Joe Biden’s decision to drop out, conservatives have been reaching for any reason to discredit her. They have launched racist and sexist attacks on her, including calling her a “childless cat lady” and questioning her racial identity. One thing that has especially disgruntled conservatives is that Harris is an extremely qualified, successful, and experienced woman. She spent decades working as an attorney, six years as Attorney General of California, and four years as a U.S. Senator before being selected as Biden’s running mate in 2020.
Unable to find any legitimate argument to prove she’s unqualified to serve as President, conservatives have become obsessed with her supposed reliance on teleprompters. According to them, Harris can’t give a speech without a teleprompter, which makes her unqualified. Recently, social media erupted when conservatives thought they found proof of Harris’ teleprompter reliance. However, the latest conspiracy has been debunked alongside all the others.
Moderator debunks newest ridiculous teleprompter theory
Recently, Harris traveled to Las Vegas to speak at a town hall for “Noticias Univision Presents: Latinos Ask, Kamala Harris Responds.” With the election fast approaching, Harris took the time to speak to undecided Latino voters, allowing them to ask her questions on a wide range of topics. She addressed healthcare issues and the rampant spread of disinformation following Hurricane Helene and even tried to answer what she thought Donald Trump’s “three virtues” were. However, conservatives decided to fixate on a split-second moment when the camera happened to catch a glimpse of a screen with text on it during Harris’ speech.
The moment was so brief, and the text so far away that it could’ve been anything. Still, conservatives rushed to social media and began presenting the clip as if it was concrete proof that Harris uses a teleprompter. Every major right-wing male pundit, from Charlie Kirk to Benny Johnson, spread the clip on social media while calling it “breaking news” and reacting to it with abbreviations like “lmfao.” They also took the conspiracy further, claiming the producers panicked and turned off the prompter when they saw the camera. It’s quite laughable that these men are even trying to mock Harris for allegedly using a teleprompter.
Kirk once mistook a dolphin fetus for a human child on TV, while Johnson was “duped” into spreading Russian propaganda for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Men who can’t even perform their fake jobs as “podcast hosts” without embarrassing themselves shouldn’t be so quick to point the figure at someone using a teleprompter.
“Teleprompter” started trending on X as users expressed outrage and amusement at the supposed usage. Hysterical conservatives even started claiming it was “fraud” and “journalistic malpractice.” Of course, the entire thing was just the latest attempt from conservatives to spread lies and conspiracies. The moderator at the event, Enrique Acevedo, quickly debunked the claim, stating that the prompter was actually for him. It had his introduction in Spanish and switched to a timer afterward. It was never for Harris. He emphasized, “Any claim to the contrary is simply untrue.”
Univision News President Daniel Coronell corroborated Acevedo’s account. He explained he could confirm with “firsthand knowledge” that the teleprompter was solely for the moderator since he was “in charge” of the program.
Despite debunking the theory, conservatives have refused to give up on the lies. In the comments on Coronell’s and Acevedo’s posts, conservatives have called them “liars” and called for them to be “fired” for allegedly being in on the fictional teleprompter scheme, even though neither has any reason whatsoever to lie. Meanwhile, it’s far from the first time conservatives have raised teleprompter hysteria. Previously, they falsely claimed that Harris used a teleprompter during her interview with Oprah Winfrey. In reality, they were trying to pretend a teleprompter positioned behind Harris’ head that showed text Winfrey said nearly verbatim was somehow proof of their Harris teleprompter conspiracy.
However, the theories get even more ridiculous. Since viewers couldn’t find any signs of teleprompters during the presidential debate, they began claiming Harris was being fed answers from her earrings. The claims she was using an in-ear transmitter were also swiftly debunked. Meanwhile, as conservatives lose their minds every time they see an earring or a screen with text on it, they blatantly ignore all the times Trump has been seen using a teleprompter. He even recently lied about needing a teleprompter while standing right next to one.
However, Trump’s teleprompter usage doesn’t get much attention because it doesn’t matter. Politicians using teleprompters is neither new nor uncommon. Presidents from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama have utilized teleprompters in their speeches. Teleprompters don’t write or give the speech; they’re simply meant to aid performance. It also takes skill to utilize a teleprompter to one’s advantage while coming across as natural. One would think audiences would be more concerned with what’s in a speech than how one gives a speech. Unfortunately, conservatives’ obsession with the teleprompter will likely persist since they seemingly find it impossible to believe that a woman can be an effective and competent speaker with or without a teleprompter.
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